William ball



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WILLIAM 'BALL or cniooruu, MASSAGHUSETTS. Letters Patent llTo. 72,714, dated December 31, 1857.

j IMPROVEMENT Illl STEAM-ENGINES.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Bc it known that I, WILLIAM BALL, of Chicopec, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvement in Steam-Cylinders for Hammering or Stamping Mineral Rock or other Material; and to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe by referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like parts in cach of the figures.

The nature of this invention consists in so constructing and arrangingthe various parts and portions of a steam-cylinder, with its adjuncts, for hammering or stamping material, that it will become self-acting, and produce irregular and positive motion to its shaft orpiston. 'lhc nature of this linvention will be further understood from the speoiiication and drawings. In the accompanying drawings- I Figure 1 is a right-hand side-elevation, which, when placed in position for operation, is secured to a perpendicular post by means of flanges.

. Figure 2 is a top view'ot` the same.

Figure 3 is a left-hand side sectional view. A

Figure 4 is a side view o f the stamp-shaft connected to the piston-rod of the cylinder, with the modus operandi for rotating, partially rotating, orvvibrating said piston, orpiston and shaft, during its rising and falling motion.

a is a steam-cylinder. a are flanges, formed on the sides of the vcylinder for the purpose of securing said cylinder firmly in a Vertical position for use. a is the lower head of the cylinder, throughv which the pistonrod I) is fitted and works, and is provided with a stuilng-box, b. c is the piston-head, secured t'o the upper end of tliepiston-rod or.sliaft 'bi a" is the upper head oi the cylinder, between which and the piston-head is provided spare room to form a steam-cushion for the pistonfh'cad. c is a valve-cylinder, closely joining the front side of the steam-cylinder. c is a balance-valve, which, by. the change of its position from one ,end ot its cylinder to the other, admits steam into the'main cylinder', first at one end then at the other. c" is a chamber, through which the steam is admitted into the valve-cylinder c. dd are valves, for regulating the amount of stearato he admitted from the steam-chamber into each end of the cylinder a. ce are steam-pipes, through which the steam is introduced into the steam-chamber 'c, thence to the valve-chamber or cylinder c', thence into the steam-cylinder vat. fis a cut-off balance-valve, arranged between Athe pipe e'l and the upper end of the steam-chamber 0 This steam-ehamber 0 is divided by a. partition, g. y The dark shading shows the steam@Vv passages. The arrowsiudicate the course ofthe live and exhaust steam on the down stroke ofthe piston-head e. hl h2 h3 h4 are pipes or passages,wl1ich conduct theexhauststeam from the valve-cylinder into theimain cylinder.

The steam enters the valve and main cylinder through open ports, inthe `common way, which presses the valve or piston against the opposite side of the cylinder, which produces friction or bindingtendency. To obviate this objection I provide depressions t, of about equalwidth and depth, from one edge of the ports around the inside circumference of the cylinder, between its ends Ato the other edge of the ports, thus allowing the steam to pass around the valve or piston, and allow it to work free from lateral-pressure steam.

The port 4 is for an exhaustport, and serves two purposes: first, after .thedownward stroke of the piston c is made, the' valve c changes from the position shown in red line, to that shown in blue line, when the port 4 is open for free exhaust; and second, when the piston c is driven up by the pressure of steam, and if its lower edge passes the lower edge of the port 4, the steam will exhaust through said pont, and diminish the pressure, and with the action of the steam-cushion will prevent any injury occurring to the cylinder, and at thesame time the valve c will move downward, closing port 4, and ieadmitting steamto the upper end of the piston, The lower edge of the piston is not designed, when working in a proper manner, to rise above the lower. edge oi the port 4. But when fromany causo it, (the pistone) is driven or rises above the lower edge ofthe port 4, the steam is allowed to escape, and thereby relieve the pressure of steam from the under side ot' the piston through the port 4, which, jointly with the action of the steam-cushion, between the piston and cylinder-heads, eiectw ally prevents all accidents from .occurring thereto. The live steam which operates the piston-head c is admitted through the pipes'e e.

At the commencement of the operation, the pistonis down at the lower end of the cylinder, as shownin blue line. In order toproduce the rising motion of the piston-head c, the steam is admitted through the lower end ot the steam-chamber to the valve-cylinder e', through a steam-passage regulated by a screw, z', to the lower end of the balance-valve c. The piston-head being down, it covers the port h1, which prevents the steam escaping into the cylinder a, consequently it throwsup the valve c into position, as 'shown in blue lines, (which, in its quick ascent, cushions against steam in the upper end of itsl cylinder,) and allows the exhaust steam to escape from the cylinder through the port 4, and at the same time allows the steam inthe steam-chamber to pass direct through the valve-cylinderrand steam-port 1, to the lower end of the piston-head c, which acts upon and throws up`thc piston-head to its position, as shown inrred line. When the `piston-head, in ascending, closes the port h3, it cuts of theescape of steam from the left-hand end of the cut-oii` valve-cylinder having its passage through the pipe and the upper end of thebalauce-valve cylinder c', thenccthrough the passage or pipe 7a3 into the cylinder, which causes the cut-off valvef to move to the opposite end of the cylinder-f, which opens the direct passage for steam from the pipe e', to the upper end of the steam-chamber c through a steam-passage, z", to the upper end of the valve-cylinder c', which causes the valve c to move from its position, as shown in blue line to the position shown in red lines, thereby closing the exhaust-port 4 and opening the exhaust-ports 2 and 3, and at the same time completing a direct passage from the cut-off valvejl, through port 5, to the upper cnd ol' the piston-hcad c, whichacts against said piston-head to throw it down withthe'stamp-hammcrwith great power into the mortar below; and as the pistou-l1ead descends and covers the port 7L", it cuts off the escape of steam from the right-hand end of the valve-cylinderj` while the steam is escaping from the left-hand end thereof, and thereby changes the position of said valve f', from that shown in red line to that shown in blue line, by which it cuts oil` the supply of steam from thc upper end of the cylinder a, and allows it to work cxpansively during the rest of its stroke.

When the upper end of the piston-head has descended below the port 3, the steam escapes through said port 3 into the exhaust-passage, and if there is not suihcient supply of rock or material in the mortar or under the hammer to prevent the piston-head from dropping below the'upper edge of the port 2, the steam will enter the cylinder a, when the valve assumes the position shown in blue lines, on each end ofthe piston-head, through the ports 1 and 2, and thus prevent any further action until it is raised by manual ormechanieal effort, so as to take steam in the usual way. c are steam-pipes, which receive steam from the cylinder a, a short distance down from the upper endof said cylinders, immediately after the piston-head has passed their ports 6 and 7 in its ascent, and conducts it to the upper end of the cylinder, between the head and pistou; and when the pressure of steam betweenthe head of the cylinder and the piston is greater than the pressure of steam bclowthc piston, it will close the puppet-valves n, and thus form a perfect cushion for the piston. o arescrews for regulating the play of the puppet-valves n. The screw z' is for regulating the quantity of steam for operating and cushioning the lower end of the valve c. o are screws for regulating the amount of steam for operating the valves f.

Iu fig. 4,'m is a framework-pulley, made in two parts, and secured together by bolts or screws, and is fitted to the stamp-shaft k, having splines which work in grooves formed in the sides of said shaft. The oice of this pulley is to give a rotary or a partial rotary or vibratory motion to the shaft` or piston-rod b, by means of a belt, chain, or. cord, the centre of which is firmly secured to the frameworklpulley, and passes once or more around said pulley, above and below said fastening, the ends of which are secured firmly in a sliding` reciprocating block, I), having its bearings formed in a guide-way plate, g, which plate is secured in a horizontal position, when in use, upon a timber, 7', just one side of the shaft k, so that when one end of a pitman is secured to the pin s on the sliding block p, and the other end is secured to a crank-pin, each revolution of the crank-shaft will cause the shaft 7c or piston-rod b to rotate, partially rotate, 4or vibrate, more or less, according to the eccentricity of the driver or crank-pin. Thus, while theshaft c or piston b is rising and falling, it also, at the same time,

. rotates, partially rotates, or vibrates, first in one directionthen in the opposite direction, by the action of this device; the object of which is to change the position of the hammer each successive blow thereof, and prevent the open space between the packing-rings of the piston from coming in contact with the steam-ports in the body of the cylinder, while it, the piston, vibrates therein.

I believe I have thus shown the nature, construction, and operation, so as to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same therefrom.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. I claimin a steam-cylinder the arrangement ofthe depressions t, formed withrefercnce to their-induction and eduction ports at points intermediate between the ends of and around the inside circumference of the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described. v i

2. I claim the arrangement of the steam-passages 7c for conducting steam from the cylinder, below the piston. head, in its ascent, around into space, between the piston and cylinder-head, to form a cushion forA said piston, substantially as shown and described.

3. I claim, in said cylinder, the arrangement or ports It' /L3 71,* for operating thc valves thereof, substantially as described.

4. Iclaim the cut-olf valvef, in combination with the balance-valve c and piston c, substantially as describenl 5. I claim the steamport 1, in combination with port 2, so arranged as to hold'thepistonin a fixed position until released, to prevent damage to the lower head of the cylinder, substantially as shown and described'.

6. I claim the arrangement of the steam-exhaust port 4, by which a free exhaust of steam from the upper end of the cylinder is effected before the ascent of the valve c, substantially as shown and described.

7. I claim producing a rotary reciprocating in connection with a vertical motion ofthe piston c, in connection with one or more ports h1 h3 h4, substantially as'shown' and described.

8. I claim the port 4, arranged with reference to the ports Grand 7, whereby a free exhaust is secured af er the ascent of the piston c, and by which, in connection with the steam-cushion at the upper end of the cylinder,

all injury is prevented to the cylinder in its ascent, substantially as described.

' WM. BALL. [In s] Witnesses:

E. P. BALL, JEREMY W. Buss. 

